Giving words

We all know that old adage, "actions speak louder than words."  I had to look it up to find out that it was originally coined by a Renaissance Frenchie, Michel de Montaigne, but that's really besides the point.  The point is that this idiom is moot in rural Guatemala.   

In Guatemala, at least the Guatemala I've come to know and love, there's a very present tradition of "giving words."  Commonly in meetings, church services, etc., I'm asked by the attending to "dar palabras" (give words).  I've gotten pretty good at it by now, but still quite a bit more brief than my Guatemalan counterparts.  Guatemalans are quite flowery in their speech--a Guatemalan can go on about something relatively trivial for 10, 15 minutes without faltering.  It's pretty amazing, actually, and I often find myself awed by this Guatemalan skill (I'm horrible at impromptu speeches and have always tended to be overly brief).  Now that the countdown has begun for my departure, people are starting to "dar palabras" to me.  At my women's group meeting yesterday, for example, Doña Carmen decided to give me some words as the meeting was winding down.  She stood, faced me from her spot in the corner, and delivered a 10-minute long Q'eqchi' speech, no pauses, no eye-contact, no emotional expression on her face.  I could understand only a bit of what she was telling me, but I gathered that she was thanking me for my time, for helping with the pila project, for visiting her at her home, etc.  She sparked a chain of similar speeches which left me standing there, receiving these foreign words in a strangely formal way.  But that's how it's done here.  To "dar palabras" in Guatemala is to give something meaningful, to pass on a sentiment, to speak your peace.  Words here are the action.  Words are the gift, the good gesture, and the message all in one. Actions can't speak louder than words when the action is the words themselves.  Plus, words are free. And I appreciate that.  I appreciate that 99% of the gift-giving in rural Guatemala is either food or words.  A hot bowl of kak'ik and a nice little speech is far better than some silly trinket anyway.  

Although this paper mache going-away present that I received today from one of my English students was just excellent.

 

Back to packing up my house bag by bag and trying to hold it together.